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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. band — a music group
  3. spell — a short time
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — part of the head
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. face — to confront
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. squash — the sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com